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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Bronny James made his debut as a starter in the G-League, contributing six points to the South Bay Lakers’ victory over the Salt Lake City Stars, which concluded with a score of 110-96 on Saturday.
Bronny James, the 20-year-old son of NBA superstar LeBron James, faced some challenges, shooting 2 of 9 from the field, with his performance from beyond the arc being particularly tough as he went 0 for 4. The 6-foot-3 guard also recorded three rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block during the game.
LeBron was present at the game, seated courtside alongside his wife, Savannah, and their daughter, Zuri. Bronny’s grandmother, Gloria James, was also in attendance, as well as notable Lakers figures such as Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell, along with general manager Rob Pelinka.
Both LeBron and the Lakers’ coach J.J. Redick have indicated that Bronny will have significant time to develop in the G-League this season, practicing at the team’s training facility. Prior to this game, Bronny had participated in five games for the Lakers, managing to score a total of four points over 14 minutes of play. He was on the court for the last 1:28 of the Lakers’ recent 116-106 win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
On October 22, LeBron and Bronny achieved a notable milestone by becoming the first father-son duo to compete together in an NBA game during the Lakers’ season opener against Minnesota. The game on Saturday offered Bronny the most playtime he has seen since the Lakers’ preseason finale against Golden State on October 18, where he played for 35 minutes and scored 15 points.
He quickly made his mark in the game, scoring on his first possession with a pull-up jumper just 43 seconds into the match. His second basket came from a floater during the second quarter, and he also added a free throw in the fourth quarter, during which the G-League is experimenting with a new free-throw rule that allows for one shot to be worth up to three points depending on the foul situation.
During the closing moments of the first quarter, Bronny executed an impressive lob pass to teammate Kylor Kelley for an alley-oop, displaying his playmaking skills. Near the midpoint of the second quarter, he partially blocked a layup attempt by Isaiah Wong, which resulted in Quincy Olivari securing the rebound. Maxwell Lewis then capitalized on the play with a three-pointer, extending the Lakers’ lead to 40-28.
Bronny James was selected as the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft in June after averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds over 25 games for Southern California the previous season.
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